Coil cradle



April 23, 1957 P. DE LA MOTTE con. CRADLE Filed Aug. 22, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR. Paw/7: a: a; /Yarm' April 23; 1957 P. DE LA MOTTE COIL CRADLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 22. 1955 IN VEN TOR.

iifiu April 23, 1957 P. DE LA MOTTE COIL CRADLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 22, 1955 April 23, 1957 r P. DE LA MOTTE 2,789,777

0011. CRADLE Filed Aug. 22, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States PatentO COIL CRADLE Pierre de la Motte, Nutley, N. J., assignor to U. S. Tool gornpany, Inc., Ampere, N. J., a corporation of New ersey Application August 22, 1955, Serial No. 529,816

7 Claims. (Cl. 242-78) The invention herein disclosed relates to cradles for unwinding and feeding from coils of strip stock.

Special objects of the invention are to provide a coil cradle which can be easily loaded either by rolling the coil of stock into position or by lowering it into place from above as by means of a chain hoist; which will support the coil on a more or less normal curvature so as to keep it from sagging and maintain it in a smoothly unwinding, approximately circular form; which will apply unwinding rotational force to the coil at a plurality of arcuately disposed supporting lines, thus to maintain.

continuous, smooth unwinding operation; to provide,

when necessary, the power for positively taking out or.

withdrawing the strip from the coil being rotated by the plurality of supporting rolls; to arrange the power takeout, usually a pair of pinch rolls, so that they may be swung aside to in effect openup the end of the cradle for clear entry of the coil therein; to provide a loop control which can be set to operate either within or at the outer side of the loop of stock advanced by the machine; to mount this loop control, along with the takeout rolls and means for releasing the rolls for threading the stock therethrough, on a swinging gate form of structure which can be opened and closed as needbe and releasably locked in place at the end of the machine, and to accomplish all these objects and combine these advantageous features in a practical, reasonable cost structure, of compact design, which can be closely combined with the press or other machine which is to be fed from the coil of stock.

The compactness of design and ability to closely combine the cradle with the machine to be fed is accomplished in part by feeding the stock from the bottom of the coil upwardly over the top of the cradle to the machine in a naturally curving unwinding spiral which lifts the stock on a continuous smooth curve to the stock level of the machine. This permits the coil to be setat a low, off the floor level so that it may be easily rolled into position in the cradle, provides a better balance of weight and through the overhead' spiral feeding, avoids any undesirable bending of the stock.

Other desirable objects and results attained by the invention and the novel features of invention through which such purposes are attained are set forth or will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrate a practical commercial embodiment of the invention. Structure, however, may be moditied and changed as regards the immediate illustration, all within the true intent and scope of the invention hereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. 1 in the drawings is a front elevation of one of the coil cradles with a coil and the strip being unwound therefrom indicated in broken lines.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the cradle.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged broken vertical sectional view on substantially the plane of line 3-3 of'Fig. 1 showing the crank and screw mechanism for adjusting the coil c0nfining side plates.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on substantially the plane of line 4-4 of Fig. 2 showing the chain drive extending from the motor at the left for the four coil rest rolls and the chain and sprocket connections for elfecting simultaneous adjustment of the side plate setting screw shafts.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged broken sectional detail on substantially the plane of line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a part sectional plan view of the release for opening up the takeout rolls, this view taken on substantially the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 7 is a broken sectional view on substantially the plane of line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged broken sectional detail of the slidable bearing structure for the takeout rolls.

Figs. 9 and 10 are broken detail views showing how the loop control may be set to operate from within or with out the loop and indicating diagrammatically connections from the control switch to the motor.

Fig. 11 is a broken and part sectional plan view of the motor end of the cradle showing the floor ramp in place and the gate swung open to permit a coil being rolled into on four power driven rolls 21, 22, 23, 24, journaled in. self-alining bearings 25 in the front and back plates of p the frame.

These coil rest rolls are located on the arc of a circle approximating the arc of the coil to be supported so as to more or less equally distribute the load, avoid distortion, prevent sagging of the coil and, as the rolls are driven, impart rotation more or less evenly at all lines of contact with the coil.

Power is imparted to the coil rest rolls in the lllustration from a speed reduction motor 26 mounted on the back frame plate and operating a sprocket 27 from which a drive chain 28 extends about sprockets 29 on the several coil rest roll shafts and over a takeup idler 30 back to the power sprocket 27.

The coil is accurately positioned on the rest rolls and confined against any tendency to weave by adjustable I guide plates 51, 32 slidably engaged over the tie rods 17,

RS, 19 and shiftable independently toward and away from each other by three pairs of end to end independently rotatable screw shafts 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37, 38 engaged 'with companion threaded nut elements 39, 40 fixed in said guide plates, as indicated in Fig. 3.

Hand cranks 41, 42 on the ends of the upper screw shafts 33, 34 enable simultaneous adjustment of the opposing sets of screw shafts through the intermediacy of chains 43, 44 respectively connecting sprockets 45, 46, 47 on shafts 34, 36 and 38 and corresponding sprockets 48, 49, 50 on screw shafts 34, 36 and 38.

idler sprockets 51, 52, Figs. 2 and 4, serve to maintain the guide plate adjusting chains 43 and 44 properly tensioned.

loop to the machine supplied, the first of these rolls journaled in fixed bearings and the other journaled in bearing blocks 56 slidable in guides 57 and yieldingly pressed toward the first by springs 58 acting on cross heads 59, Fig. 8, engaging slide pins-60 bearing on slide blocks 56.

Patented Apr. 23, 1957 Tension of springs 58 and hence gripping engagement of "the pinch rolls is regulatable by spring abutment nuts 61.

To efiect quick release of the-takeout rolls, for threadingthe stock brother purposes, a hand lever 62 is shown pivotally-mounted at 63, Fig. 6, pivotally connected at opposite sides of the center of rotation at 64, 65 with wedges 67, '68 engageable behind cross heads 59 to lift them away from the pressure applying pins 60. This handle operates in the nature of a toggle to advance or retract the'roll separating wedges as it may be swung in opposite directions in Fig. 6, a stop pin 69 being shown to "limit throw of the lever in opposite directions.

To enable quick loading or-unloading, the motor end of the cradle is shown left open as in Fig. 11 so that the coil of stock may be rolled on the floor up a ramp 70 .into supported position on the power driven rest rolls. This ramp may be simply a fiat plate of sufficient strength having angle iron hooks 71 which can be engaged over the outer, lower tie rod 19.

For the practical carrying out of such operations, the takeout. rolls 53, 54 are shown embodied in or carried by a swinging gate structure made up'of a frame 72 supported by a hinge pin 73, Fig. l, engaged in a hinge bracket 74-secured to the front frame plate 15.

This hinging gate structure is releasably secured in the closed relation, Figs. 1 and 2, by a latch lever 75 pivoted on the under side of the swinging frame at 76 and releasably held engaged with a stationary keeper 77 onthe back frame plate by spring 78.

,When the gate is swung closed from open position shown in Fig. 11, to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the spring tensioned latch lever 75 will engage keeper 77 and secure the gate in closed relation but operation of this latch will release the gate, permitting it to swing fully open, clear of the end of the cradle for loading, lubrication, inspection or other purposes.

Drive of the'takeout rolls is effected in the illustration by a gear 79 on the end of the motor driven shaft carrying the sprocket 27, Figs. 2 and 11, which is meshed by a corresponding gear 80 on the shaft of the upper stationary bearing roll 53 and which in turn meshes gear 81- on the lower roll 54. These gears are at the free endof the swinging frame positioned for engagement of roll gear 80 with drive gear 79 when the gate-like frame is closed and locked in the running position, Fig. 2.

The unwinding operation is automatically controlled in the illustrated structure by a loop engaging roller 82 on theupper end of a lever 83 on a rock shaft 84 which carries a cam' 85 in engagement with a follower lever 86 positioned to actuate the button 87 of motor starting switch 88.

Fig.2 shows how when thegate 72 carrying the takeout rolls and loop control is swung closed, the drive gears 79, 80 at the free-end of the frame will be meshed to drive the rolls and the cam 85 for the loop control will be engaged with the follower lever 86 to control the motor starting switch 88 on the inner wall of the front frame plate and Fig. 11 shows how when the gate is swung open, the drive gears will be wholly disconnected and the cam will be swung away from the switch actuating follower lever.

The loop control is reversible to operate from either the inside or the outside of the loop and this by simply changing the connection of the spring 89 which in the Fig.1 and Fig. 9 position is engaged over-a pin 90 at the'base of rock lever 83'to pull the roller upward against the inside-of the loop and which when engaged with lug 91 on said leverat the opposite-side of the shaft-center,

as in Fig. 10, holds the roller engagedwith the outer face ofthe loop.

Thus, in working with light, thin or more flexible stock, the roller may bo-engaged with the inner face of the stock so as to be pulled inward by the lessening sizeof the loop, Fig. 9, and with heavier or stiffer stock, the roller may act as a follower held 'by the spring engaged with the outer face of the stock, Fig. 10.

In both instances the motor will be started when the loop reaches a predetermined reduced size and the cam may be adjustably secured on shaft 84 as by set screw 92 to predetermine the moment of switch actuation.

Also, if desired, a time delay relay may be arranged in the motor control circuit.

Fig. 3 shows how the opposing ends of the screw shafts such as 33, 34 'forindependently shifting the coil side plates 31 and 32 may be kept in alinement by double pilot pins 93 entered-in the 'ends'of these couples.

The supporting of the coil on two lower rolls 22, 23, two upper or side rest rolls 2-1, 24 and bottom roll 24a disposed with their supporting circumferences on an arc approximating the curvature of the coil to be supported, avoids distortion or straining of the coil and the driving of these supporting rolls at equal surface speed affords continuous, smooth unwinding action.

The takeout rolls driven at the same or possibly slightly greater surfacespeed withdraw the unwinding strip from the bottom of the roll substantially tangentially, lifting and passing the stock upwardly over the top of the roll to the feeding plane of the machine being supplied. The overhead level of the stock may be predetermined by a stock supporting roller 94 carried by rods 95 adjustably secured at 96 on the front and back side plates of the frame.

This taking thestock out from the bottom of the coil in the reverse direction or away from the machine and then passing it upward and overhead toward the ma- 1 chine maintains a natural unwinding flow of stock from curvature of the coil to straight feed into the machine without reverse bends and enables the cradle being built in compact dimensions and being set up close to the machine without waste of intervening floor space.

As the necessary height of feed is gained by passing the stock up and overhead, the cradle can be built low and the coil set low in the cradle, where it can be easily placed by rolling it into the open-end of the frame or by lowering it with a chain hoist or the like, between the coil confining side plates.

The invention makes it possible to handle different kinds of stock in the same machine,'various widths, thickness, ductility and flexibility and those that may be difficult to handle, such as thin but heavy and more or less flimsy material. The combination of the arcuately disposed powerdriven coil cradling rolls with the powered takeout rolls makes the latterpossible even with materials that may be more or less fragile in character.

What is claimed is:

l. Coil cradle comprising a frame of upright front and back plates connected by tie rods 'in spaced parallel relation, coil confining side plates slidably engaged over said tie rods, screw-shafts alined in end to end relation journaled in said front and back. plates and having screw connection with said coil confining side plates :for shifting said plates independently toward or away from each other, sprocket chains connecting the screw shafts journ-aled in the front plate and sprocket chains connecting the screw shafts journaled in the back plate whereby each of said two sets of screw shafts will turn in unison, operating cranks for independently turning the screw shafts at the front and back plates, coil rest rolls journaled between the front and back plates with their circumferences on an arc approximating the curvature of a coil to be supported in the cradle with two of said rolls near the bottom of said are and two other rolls higher and at the sides of the are, a motor mounted on the back plate of the frame, drive connections extending from said motor to said coil rest rolls, a gear at the motor end of said drive *co'nne'ctions, companion takeout rolls, one having a gear engageable with and disengageable from said drive gear at the motor, and a gate-like frame carrying said takeout rolls pivotally mounted on the front plate in position to swing the takeout rolls into and out of coupled relation with the drive gear.

2. Coil cradle comprising a frame of upright front and back plates connected by tie rods in spaced parallel relation, coil confining side plates slidably engaged over said tie rods, screw shafts alined in end to end relation journaled in said front and back plates and having screw connection with said coil confining side plates for shifting said plates independently toward or away from each other, sprocket chains connecting the screw shafts journaled in the front plate and sprocket chains connecting the screw shafts journaled in the back plate whereby each of said two sets of screw shafts will turn in unison, operating cranks for independently turning the screw shafts at the front and back plates, coil rest rolls journaled between the front and back plates with their circumferences on an arc approximating the curvature of a coil to be supported in the cradle with two of said rolls near the bottom of said are and tWo other rolls higher and at the sides of the are, a motor mounted on the back plate of the frame, drive connections extending from said motor to said coil rest rolls, a gate pivotally mounted on the front frame plate, a motor control switch on said front frame plate adjacent the pivotal mounting of the gate, and a loop control mounted on the gate, including a cam engageable with and separable from said motor control switch as the gate is swung to closed or open position on the frame.

3. Coil cradle comprising a cradle frame, four coil rest rolls journaled in said frame with their circumfen ences on an arc with the curvature of the coil to be supported in the cradle, a motor on the frame, gearing extending therefrom for driving said four coil rest rolls in unison, takeout rolls shiftable on the frame from a position in front of the coil rest rolls to a position at one side of the same, and gearing for driving said takeout rolls from the motor and separable to permit the shifting of the takeout rolls away from the coil rest rolls.

4. Coil cradle for unwinding and feeding stock from the bottom of the coil away from the machine to be fed and over the top of the coil in the opposite direction to the machine and comprising a frame, coil rest rolls in the bottom of the frame on an are substantially corresponding to curvature of the coil to be unwound, power means on the frame for driving said arcu'ately arranged coil rest rolls in unison, takeout rolls removably mounted at the unwinding end of the frame, and separable gearing from the power means to said removably mounted takeout rolls.

5. Coil cradle for unwinding and feeding stock from the bottom of the coil away from the machine to be fed and over the top of the coil in the opposite direction to the machine and comprising a frame, coil rest rolls in the bottom of the frame on an are substantially corresponding to curvature of the coil to be unwound and power means on the frame for driving said arcuately arranged coil rest rolls in unison, including a motor and sprocket chain drive from the motor to said coil rest rolls, a drive gear operated by said motor, and takeout rolls hingedly mounted on the frame in position to swing into and out of operative relation with respect to the coil rest rolls and including a gear for engagement with and disengagement from said motor driven gear.

6. Coil cradle comprising a frame, coil rest rolls journaled in said frame, a swinging gate at one end of the frame, takeout rolls carried by said swinging gate, a releasable latch for securing the gate in closed position at the end of the frame, a motor on the frame, drive connections from said motor to the coil rest rolls, and separable drive connections from the motor to said takeout rolls.

7. Coil cradle comprising a frame having upright spaced parallel front and back plates, coil rest rolls journaled in said front and back plates, a motor mounted on the back plate, drive gearing from said motor to said coil rest rolls and including a gear exposed at the end and on the inner side of the back plate, a swinging frame hinged on the front plate and adapted to swing toward the back plate, a releasable latch for securing the swinging frame in the closed position, takeout rolls journaled in said swinging frame and including a gear at the free end of the swinging frame positioned to mesh with said exposed motor driven gear, a motor control switch on the front plate, and a loop control on the swinging frame including a rock shaft having an element for engagement with a loop of the stock issuing from a coil on the rest rolls "and provided with a cam at the hinge end of the swinging frame positioned to cooperate with said motor control switch when the swinging frame is latched in the closed position described.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,213,771 Leen et a1. Ian. 23, 1917 1,221,686 Collins Apr. 3, 1917 2,058,329 Littell Oct. 20, 1936 2,111,054 Paul Mar. 15, 1938 2,692,737 Rowe Oct. 26, 1954 

